WO1987002005A1 - Installation for the control of passengers of an aircraft or any other transportation means - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosed installation is designed to neutralize any person carrying a weapon or any other metal mass. Said installation comprises a control cabin (1) having an elongate shape and including a circulation corridor (8) of which the exit end is intended to be placed in front of the door of an aircraft or any other transport vehicle. Inside said corridor there is provided a safety chamber (23) of which the doors are controlled by apparatuses (31) for the detection of metal masses. Said cabin comprises also a horizontal conveyor (11) which is arranged parallel to the circulation corridor and which is intended to transport passengers' hand luggage past a detection apparatus (18) which detects metal masses. Furthermore, there is provided a control station (14) intended to be occupied by a controller and inside which are installed a control screen (20) connected to the different detection apparatuses as well as a control desk (21) for controlling at least certain of the different doors existing in the circulation corridor (8). Said cabin may be installed at the entrance of an aircraft or any other transportation vehicle for carrying out an efficient control of passengers just before they enter the aircraft or vechicle.

Description

 "Installation for the control of passengers of an aircraft or other transport device or the like"

The present invention relates to screening passengers of ^aircraft or other conveyance, or similar, to neutralize anyone carrying a weapon or other metal objects that can be used for an attempted hijacking or bombing.

Currently, the prior checking of passengers on an aircraft is carried out at the entrance to the boarding rooms located inside the airports. Therefore, such control is not effective because of the possibility for a passenger to take advantage of ^• the distance to the entrance even an aircraft to receive a weapon delivered by an accomplice, or to recover a weapon previously concealed in an appropriate place. In an attempt to remedy this situation, it has already been proposed, in Belgian patent 762,275, to use a mobile control cabin capable of being installed directly against the access opening inside an aircraft. . This cabin has two circulation corridors extending over its entire length and which are arranged on either side of a control room intended - to accommodate one or more supervisors. Each of these corridors has a containment lock located near its entry end and inside which is installed a metal mass detector. The two detector devices thus provided are connected to surveillance screens located inside the room. control, which also contains a control panel allowing the supervisors to control the locking of the doors of the airlocks.

However, the control carried out by means of such a cabin is imperfect because the single detector device placed on one of the sides of each airlock only allows a summary control. Furthermore and above all, the design of this control cabin is such that each person keeps with them his or her carry-on baggage so that it is relatively easy for him to avoid effective control of the content thereof.

This is why the present invention aims to achieve an installation of the same general type, that is to say an installation consisting essentially of a mobile control cabin capable of being placed directly against one of the openings of aircraft or other transport unit, but is designed to allow the production of one- perfectly effective control of each ^person. To this end, the installation control cabin according to the invention is characterized in that in combination with a circulation corridor extending over its entire length, and ^' the doors of which are controlled or controlled by a metal mass detection, it also contains:

- on the one hand a horizontal conveyor, arranged parallel to this corridor, and which is intended to receive hand luggage for travelers to transport it from a drop-off station located near the entrance of the cabin, to a recovery station located on the exit side, passing opposite a metal mass detecting device;

- on the other hand, a checkpoint, also located against one side of the circulation corridor to be occupied by a supervisor, and inside which are installed a control screen connected to the various detector devices, as well as a console for controlling the opening and closing of certain at least of the various doors existing in the circulation corridor.

According to another characteristic of the present installation, the entrance to the control cabin is located not opposite the circulation corridor, but opposite the conveyor for transporting hand luggage, which causes each person to pass in front of the corresponding end of it to deposit his hand luggage (s).

In a form of. advantageous embodiment, the present control cabin can be arranged to also allow the control of each passenger when leaving an airplane or other transport device before entering an airport or other premises in order to prevent attempted attacks or others inside of it.

However, other features and advantages of the present installation will appear during the following description. This is given with reference to the attached drawing and on which:

Figures 1 and 2 are schematic views, respectively in elevation and in plan view, which show the installation of the present control cabin against one of the doors of an aircraft;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view of a first embodiment of this control cabin, which is shown on a different scale from that of Figures 1 and 2; FIG. 4 is a transverse view in vertical section along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5 and 5A are partial views in vertical section of the upper and lower edges of a retaining door;

Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to Figure 3 but showing other embodiments.

In the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 _” the control installation according to the invention consists of a cabin 1 of elongated shape carried by a horizontal platform 2. This is installed on a transport vehicle 3 and it is itself supported by lifting arms 4 carried by the chassis of this vehicle. Thus this cabin can occupy two distinct positions, namely:

- A low position shown in dashed lines in Figure 1 and which is the position adopted during the movement of the transport vehicle, - and a high position shown in solid lines in this same figure and which then allows to place this cabin at level of one of the side doors 5 of an airplane 6.

In this case, access to the cabin 1 is ensured by means of a mobile ladder 7, as shown in FIG. 1, or else by connection of a telescopic gangway to the entry end of the cabin 1.

Over a part of its width, this cabin comprises a circulation corridor 8 which extends over its entire length and leads to an outlet opening 9 intended to be placed directly against the side door 5 of an aircraft. As for the entry opening 10 inside the cabin 1, it is offset with respect to the circulation corridor 8. In fact, it is located opposite the other part of the width of the cabin 1.

On this other part is installed a horizontal conveyor 11 intended to transport and control the hand luggage of each passenger. This conveyor is arranged parallel to the circulation corridor 8. Its upstream end 12, which is located some distance from the inlet opening 10, constitutes in a way a post for depositing hand luggage by each passenger. As for its downstream end 13, it constitutes for its part a recovery station for each passenger, this station obviously being located on the exit side.

However, the horizontal conveyor 11 only extends over a part of the length of the cabin 10. In fact, it is followed by a control station 14 intended to be occupied by a supervisor. This station is separated from the conveyor 11 by a partition 15 extending over the entire height of the cabin. It is also separated from the corridor ^'movement by a partition 16 which extends over the entire length of the corridor, however this partition having an opening 17 opposite the collecting station 13 of hand luggage on the conveyor 11.

Between the depositing station 12 and the recovery station 13, the conveyor passes next to a metal mass detecting device which is capable of detecting the presence of a weapon or other metal mass inside a piece of luggage. hand transported by this conveyor. It is an X-ray radioscopy device comprising two complementary parts 18 and 18a. This detector device is separated from the recovery station 13 by a partial partition 19. Furthermore, this detector device is connected to a control screen 20 placed inside the control station 14 to be monitored by the person responsible for control. This station also contains a desk 21 comprising operating devices allowing this person to control the blocking of one or more retaining doors provided in the circulation corridor 8, as will be explained below.

Between this circulation corridor 8 and the conveyor 11, a second conveyor 22 can advantageously be provided for transporting small objects, for example small metal objects, such as keys, etc., which would risk causing unnecessary triggering. control detectors if the controlled persons keep these on them. The upstream end of this second conveyor can be located next to the upstream end 12 of the first conveyor 11. As for its downstream end, it can extend beyond to allow the retrieval of small objects at the location d 'a station 22a located immediately before exit 9 of the cabin. To prevent these objects from being able to be recovered at the location of the hand luggage recovery station 13, the conveyor 22 is located at a lower level than that of the conveyor 11, and on its part located opposite the recovery station 13 , it is covered by a cover plate 22b. This therefore prohibits any possibility of recovering the small objects before they pass through the control station 14 where the supervisor can examine them.

At some distance from the entrance opening, the circulation corridor 8 includes a retaining airlock 23. In the example shown in FIG. 3, this airlock is equipped with two rotary doors 24 and 25, of curved shape, which are intended to respectively control the inlet passage 26 of this airlock and the outlet passage.

On its lower edge, each of these doors 24 or 25 is provided with rollers 27 engaged in a curved guide rail 28, which is embedded, in the thickness of the floor 29 of the cabin (Figure 5) - On its edge upper each door is suspended from a rail curve 28a disposed above the ceiling 30 of the cabin, the latter comprising a slot 30a inside which are engaged tabs 27b secured to the upper edge of the corresponding door 24 (or 25) and which carry the rollers of corresponding bearing 27a thereof. This mounting method prohibits any possibility of opening doors 24 and 25 by exerting a violent push on it.

These two doors are actuated by pneumatically actuated drive mechanisms, which operate automatically under the effect of passage detectors. The arrangement is such that when a person has entered the airlock 23, the two doors 24 and 25 close immediately. After a while, the exit door 25 is opened if, however, no weapon or other metallic mass has been detected on the corresponding person.

This detection is ensured by a metal mass detector device, the two complementary parts 31 of which are fixed directly against the internal face of one or the other door 24 and 25. This detector device is connected to the drive mechanisms of the doors 24 and so as to control the blocking of these in their closed position in the event of detection of a metallic mass.

It should especially be noted that when a person enters the airlock 23, the doors 24 and 25 are both open, therefore arranged on the side, on either side of the circulation passage, as shown in Figure 3- Thus the two complementary parts 31 of the detector perform a lateral control of the corresponding person. However, when the two doors 24 and 25 then come in the closed position, the two complementary parts 31 of the detector, which are carried by them, then carry out a front control of the same person. Thus each person undergoes a check in all directions, which ensures a perfect effectiveness of the check carried out all the more since the hand luggage is checked independently. Of course, in the event of detection of a metallic mass, the doors 24 and 25 remain immobilized in the closed position, which makes it possible to completely neutralize the person checked.

Following the airlock 23, two other rotary closing doors 32 are provided. These make it possible to prevent a person from running through the airlock 23 without having undergone a complete check inside it. This is why these doors are in the closed position during the penetration of a person inside the airlock 23, their opening only taking place after verification of the absence of any metallic mass on the controlled person. .

Shortly before the exit 9 from cabin 1, two other shutter doors 33 are provided. The lower and upper edges thereof are retained on guide rails 34 and 35 in a similar manner to that which is provided for the revolving doors 24 and 25 of the containment lock. This also prohibits any possibility of forcing the doors 33 "The latter are normally in the open position. However, their drive mechanism is controlled by the detector apparatus 18 placed opposite the conveyor 11 for transporting hand luggage so that these doors are automatically closed in the event of detection of a metallic mass in the checked luggage. Thus the owner of this baggage is retained and neutralized inside the control cabin. However, the closing of the doors 33 can also be controlled by the supervisor located inside the control station 14 and this, by maneuvering the console 21 following the detection of an abnormal object on the screen of monitoring 20.

Optionally, an additional door 10a can be provided, of the sliding type and arranged at the entrance to cabin 1, this door being controlled on the one hand by the supervisor, located inside the control station 14 and secondly by the sensor masses ^"metal devices.

Figure 6 shows another embodiment of the control cabin according to the invention. This differs from the previous one only by the arrangement of the doors of the airlock 23a provided at the start of the corresponding circulation corridor 8a. Indeed, the rest of the arrangement of the control cabin remains identical. Consequently, the corresponding bodies are designated by the same reference numbers.

With regard to the holding airlock 23a, it comprises two pairs of flat doors ^* 24a and 25a which are each guided by two rails 34a and 35a arranged at right angles, in the same way as the doors 33 provided at the outlet .

Figure 6 shows the position of these various doors when a person enters the control airlock. In this case the doors 25a are closed, while the doors 24a are open to clear the entrance passage. Then the doors 24a are automatically closed as soon as a person enters the airlock 23a and the doors 2 open afterwards with a certain delay time, except however in the case of detection of metallic masses.

This detection is ensured by detector devices, the complementary parts 31 of which are directly fixed against the internal face of the various doors 34a and 35a. Due to the planned layout, there is then also a control of each person on all the sides, that is to say both from the front and from the side. In this particular embodiment, it is not necessary to provide intermediate doors between the airlock 23 and the doors 33 located near the exit. However, all the other checks are carried out in the same way as in the previous embodiment.

FIG. 7 represents a variant of the embodiment according to FIG. 5- In this variant, the corresponding airlock 23b comprises two pairs of doors 24b and 25b similar to the doors 24a and 25a. However, these do not serve as a support for metal mass detecting devices. In fact, in the case of this variant, detection is ensured by a fixed detector, the two complementary parts 31b of which are arranged on one and the other sides of the lock airlock 23b.

But in another variant ', the detection of the suspicious metallic raa's's could be ensured by fixed detectors arranged before the holding airlock 23b, such as the detectors 31c drawn in dashed lines in FIG. 7.

In yet another embodiment, two additional detectors 31e are provided arranged on the sides of the circulation corridor 8b just after it, if we consider the normal direction F of movement inside this corridor. However, these detectors are intended to allow use of the present control cabin in the opposite direction, that is to say at the exit of passengers outside an airplane or other transport device. In such a case, each person is brought to circulate in the direction F 'and not in the normal direction F. Of course the two conveyors 11 and 22 are then operated in opposite direction to their normal direction, the station 13 becoming the hand depositing station, while station 12 becomes the recovery station of these .

In such a case, the detectors 31e are therefore located upstream of the containment lock 23b, so that they make it possible to control the restraint of a person inside this lock in the event of detection of a suspicious metallic mass. . The same applies if a metallic mass is detected in the hand luggage of the person concerned.

Such a control cabin therefore makes it possible to avoid any attempt to penetrate an armed person inside an airport with a view to carrying out an attack or a hostage taking, on leaving the aircraft. coming from an airport which is not subject to serious control. However, the equipment in this cabin remains designed to ensure effective control at the entrance to an airplane or other transport device.

This installation may be subject to various modifications and variants. Thus the various retaining doors can be of different types from those previously described. Furthermore, the conveyor 11 for transporting hand luggage can advantageously be equipped, at the end, with a stop stop intended to prevent the mixing of the luggage belonging to two separate persons. The arrangement is then such that the arrival of a baggage against this stop causes the conveyor to stop which is kept stopped until this baggage is removed.

On the other hand, the control cabin according to the invention may very well not be of the lifting type, and then simply be mounted on wheels so that it can be brought against the entry of a transport device. However, it can also be installed at the end of a telescopic gangway, in the case of airports equipped with such gangways. Finally, it goes without saying that the use of This control cabin is not limited to the case of airplanes, since it can be used in all other similar cases.

Claims

1.- Installation for the control of passengers of an aircraft or other transport device or the like to neutralize any person carrying a weapon or other metallic mass, consisting of a mobile control cabin of elongated shape comprising a circulation corridor extending over its entire length and the outlet end of which is intended to be placed in front of the door of an aircraft, or other transport device, this corridor comprising a security airlock ensuring the individual restraint of each passenger, and the doors of which are controlled or controlled by a metal mass detection device, characterized in that in combination with this circulation corridor (8, 8a, 8b) the present control cabin (1, la, 1b) also contains: - On the one hand a horizontal conveyor (11), arranged parallel to this corridor, and which is intended to receive the hand luggage of travelers to transport them from a drop-off station (12) located near the entrance to the cabin, up to a recovery station (13) located on the exit side, passing opposite a metal mass detector (18); - on the other hand, a control post (14), also located against one side of the circulation corridor (8, 8a, 8b) to be occupied by a supervisor, and inside which are installed a control screen ( 20) connected to the various detector devices, as well as a console (21) for controlling the opening and closing of at least some of the different doors existing in the circulation corridor (8, 8a, 8b). 2.- Control installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the entry (10) into the control cabin (1, la, lb) is located not opposite the circulation corridor (8, 8a, 8b), but opposite the conveyor (11 ) transport of hand luggage, which causes each person to pass in front of the corresponding end (12) thereof to deposit his or her hand luggage. 3.- Control installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the entry (24, 24a) and exit (25a, 25b) doors of the security airlock (23, 23a) carry the complementary parts (31 , 31a) of a metal mass detector on their internal face and the means for guiding and / or moving these doors are such that in the open position, these are located on either side of the existing passage in the holding airlock (23, 23a), so that the detector devices (31, 31a) are then able to carry out a lateral control of the person placed in the airlock, while in the closed position. these doors, these same detector devices (31, 31a) carry out a front or back control of this person. 4. Control installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper and lower edges of the entry (24, 24a, 24b) and exit (25, 25a, 25b) doors of the security airlock (23 , 23a, 23b) are held on guide rails (28). 5. Control installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a second horizontal conveyor (22) is provided for the transport of small objects, the latter being arranged between the circulation corridor (8, 8a, 8b) and the first conveyor (11) for transporting hand luggage, and extending beyond it inside the control station (14) for that the small objects transported can be controlled by the supervisor placed inside this station. 6. Control installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that beyond the post (13) for recovering hand luggage, there is provided one or two additional doors (33) which can close the circulation corridor ( 8, 8a, 8b) before leaving (9) thereof, the closing of these doors being controlled from the control station (14) or automatically by the detector device controlling the conveyor (11) for transporting luggage by hand. .- Control installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that beyond the holding airlock (23b), there are additional detectors (31e) of metallic masses which are capable of triggering the blocking of the doors of this airlock, so that the corresponding cabin (1b) is able to provide reverse control to neutralize a suspicious person when leaving an aircraft or other transport device. 8.- Control installation according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the control cabin (1, la, lb) is installed on an elevating platform (2) carried by a vehicle (3) of transport, which allows to place it in front of one of the side entrances (5) of an aircraft.